A guide to the best
and sometimes off the
beaten track historical
ruins around Ireland and
how to get there.

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

Clondalkin Round Tower, Church & Castle Co Dublin

Above & Below Images: The large cross

Above & Below Images: The two faces of the smaller cross

Above & Below 3 Images: Remains of the old Church

Above Image: The ancient font with Church remains in backround

Above Image: Close up of the font

Above Image: The tower as viewed from St Johns

Above Image: Entrance door to the round tower

Above Image: Tully's Castle on Monastery Rd

Above Image: The North East facing aspect

Above Image: The South West facing aspect

Above Image: The replica tower on Monastery Rd

A monastery at Clondalkin was founded in the 7th
century by St Mochua and it grew into a very sizable site over the subsequent years. The tall
round tower, one of the finest examples in the country, is believed to date to
the late 8th century or early 9th century and is a
testament to time still retaining its conical cap intact. The site was
ransacked many times notably by the Vikings in which the tower no doubt played
an important part in defence for the clergy. Today unfortunately nothing
remains of any of the other monastic buildings. The tower stands over 90 feet
tall and has four windows at its top which mirror the points of the compass. A
couple of years ago the tower was opened to the public one Saturday but
otherwise it remains squarely locked up. Its iconic stance dominates the
village and is close to a narrow but very busy road. It is best viewed from the
grounds of the Anglican Church of St John across the road where a wall impedes
the view of the noisy traffic. Indeed St John's was built in 1787 and stands on
the site of the former medieval church (circa 13th century) which
was demolished to allow the construction of the new church. However a tall 12 foot
sliver remains and is possibly part of the chancel of the old church. It is now
a national monument and a very striking feature in the Churchyard.

I went to photograph the tower one Friday morning and was
aware that St John's church grounds contained the remains of the medieval church
but I did not expect to find the gates open which they were and so the visit
became all the more interesting. Within the grounds of St john’s it remains
quiet and peaceful and I remained undisturbed during my visit. At the rear of
the church are some remnants of the old monastic times. There are two stone
crosses. The smallest depicts both a ringed and a Latin cross on its faces
while the larger granite cross which may have originally been a boundary or
grave marker stands proudly a few yards apart from the smaller cross. Along the
boundary to the right of the new Church is a large granite baptismal font which
may date back to the original monastic times. Again it is very impressive and I
find the manner in which all of these items have been preserved and placed a
credit to those involved in doing so.

Nearby on Monastery Road are the remains of what is thought
to be a 16th century Castle. Locally called Tully’s castle as this
was the name of a previous owner it has been mentioned in records as being
Clondalkin Castle. The remains consist of a tall narrow tower and part of an
adjoining building on its North West side. There are two door like apertures on its
Southern West side. The ruins now form part of the garden wall of a modern house. The
tower may have been part of a number of castles built to protect the pale but
seems too narrow to have been a residential tower so it would lead one to
suspect it might be an ancillary tower to a much larger non-extant castle.

To find the ruins take the R113 (Fonthill Rd) heading
Northwards from Newland's Cross on the N7. Drive for approx. 500m until you
reach a crossroads with Boot Rd. Turn right here and drive for approx. 800m, you
can’t miss the tower ahead of you. For parking your best bet is to continue on
past the tower and park in the Mill shopping centre a little way further on the left.
Parking is free and only a 3 minute walk back to the tower. Be sure to check if
the gate to St Johns opposite is open so you can view the other antiquities.
The best time for access would probably be a Sunday morning when service is
held at 11.15am. To find Tully’s Castle leave the car park at the mill centre
and go straight through the traffic lights to the road directly opposite.
Follow this curved road until you reach a set of lights at the Village café. At
this junction turn left and drive approx. 200m and you will spot the Castle on
your right. You can park at the shops opposite.

As an interesting aside about 400m east of Tully’s Castle on
the same road is a replica of the round tower at the entrance to a large car
park. Worth a look for the heck of it.

This ruin is a house or castle rather than a church. Unfortunately I've been able to find only limited information on it. If you look at our historical mapping site at http://gis.sdublincoco.ie/historical_mapping/

you'll see that it was in ruins as far back as 1821 and it is marked on the maps as a castle. It seems to have been known as Irishtown Castle , there are two 1772 prints of it in the National Library, and it was in ruins even then.

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000146530

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000053497

The historian Patrick Healy has written a short piece about it as follows:

During the insurrection of 1641, the castle was garrisoned for the crown with a sergeant and ten men but the former, with half of the men, left and joined the Confederate Army. After the insurrection, the castle and lands of Irishtown were granted to Sir Maurice Eustace, the speaker of the House of Commons. During the Commonwealth the castle was occupied, first by the Archibalds and later by Thos. Vincent. It was then rated as containing eleven chimneys.

The castle would appear to have been a large building but most of the main block is now gone. Only an attached turret is still standing to a height of three stories. It was accessed by a door from the main building. This tower is now open to the sky and there are joist holes at two levels for wooden floors. At some subsequent period it has been used as a pigeon house and the inside walls are disfigured with about 150 holes cut in the walls for the nests of the pigeons. This was noted by Austin Cooper when he visited the castle in 1781. A drawing of the castle by Gabriel Beranger made in 1772 shows it in somewhat better condition. According to Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of 1837, coins and bullets have been dug up around the castle.

The ruin is on South Dublin County Council’s list of protected structures where it is described as a ‘tower house’.